


The Colour of Smoke

by LiteratiAngel92



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:41:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28832826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiteratiAngel92/pseuds/LiteratiAngel92
Summary: I watch the smoke even more intently than my one-year-old son, each of the colours denoting a perfect moment in my life; amethyst, sapphire, emerald, gold, amber, ruby." The night that James and Lily died, from James' POV.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter





	The Colour of Smoke

_Purple._ _Blue._ _Green._ _Yellow._ _Orange._ _Red._

I'm easily bored, especially when I'm holed up at home. Lily is always telling to grow up; _this is serious._ She doesn't need to tell me, but she does anyway. I know how grave our situation is, but I would trust my friends to the ends of the earth and back. I know that we're safe. _Harry is safe._

_Red._ _Orange._ _Yellow._ _Green._ _Blue._ _Purple._

Part of me wishes that Padfoot had agreed to be our secret keeper, but I know that it would've been wrong for Lily and I to expect something so dangerous of him when You-Know-Who's cronies are hunting him too. He would've lain down his life for us in a heartbeat but it just wouldn't have been fair. _He's like a brother to me._

_Purple._ _Blue._ _Green._ _Yellow._ _Orange._ _Red._

It was Padfoot who suggested asking Worm to be our secret keeper. I would never have thought of it myself but Sirius insisted that You-Know-Who would never suspect that we'd put our trust in Peter. Dumbledore performed the Fidelius Charm himself; I felt instantly safer just because of that, even if, because of the complexities of the charm, he could only guess who our secret keeper was. If Dumbledore was completely on our side, we could never fail.

_Red._ _Orange._ _Yellow._ _Green._ _Blue._ _Purple._

I've played countless games of Exploding Snap. I've beaten myself at Wizard Chess about five times in a row. I've cantered around in my animangus form for a few hours until Lily told me to stop breaking the house with my antlers. I've watched Harry riding around on the toy broomstick that Padfoot sent him for his birthday. I've even resorted to playing Peek-A-Boo with him; Lily says it's supposed to work on Muggle babies but I still maintain that it bores the living daylights out of wizards.

_Purple._ _Blue._ _Green._ _Yellow._ _Orange._ _Red._

So I'm now resorting to making puffs of smoke appear out of my wand. It's a small thing but it amuses Harry and keeps me entertained. I miss being able to do proper magic but seeing Harry's face light up when a new colour erupts from my wand is worth everything. It can't be easy for him to be locked up like this, even if he doesn't understand what's going on.

_Red._ _Orange._ _Yellow._ _Green._ _Blue._ _Purple._

I love colour. It adds so much to a bland landscape. I watch the smoke even more intently than my one-year-old son, each of the colours denoting a perfect moment in my life; _amethyst, sapphire, emerald, gold, amber, ruby._ Amethyst; the wrapping on a bar of Honeydukes' best chocolate. Sapphire; the night sky during one of our monthly jaunts around the Hogwarts grounds. Emerald; the exact shade of Lily's eyes. Gold; the sign of the House _'where dwell the brave at heart'_. Amber; mine and Padfoot's first glass of Firewhiskey. Ruby… _ruby…_ snake-like eyes. _The last thing you will see before you die._

_Purple._ _Blue._ _Green._ _Yellow._ _Orange._ _Red._

I hear a virtually silent creak of the garden gate and then, almost in slow motion, the front door blows open. _Peter…Peter…_ **Worm**. _We're lost._ I have to do something, _anything._ I have to stop him; I have to save Lily and Harry. _Lily and Harry._ I sprint into the hallway, not even thinking about what I'm doing. I am a Gryffindor; the bravest of the brave. _Ruby…snake-like eyes. The last thing you will see before you…_

_Green. Green. Green. Green. Green. Green._

_"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off…"_ _My wand._ I threw it on the sofa. I didn't even think to pick it up.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Green light filled the hallway, lighting up Harry's pushchair, the banisters, the stairs…A jet of emerald light soaring towards me, cutting through the air.

_Emerald; the exact shade of Lily's eyes._


End file.
